When Mercury Prize-winning band Franz Ferdinand were discussing dates for their UK tour, bass player Bob Hardy had only one request... "Don't make me play Leeds."

Bradford-born Bob is excited about his triumphant homecoming when the band play at St George's Hall next week.

The gig was engineered by Bob as part of their hectic schedule and will be his first time playing in the city since Franz Ferdinand took the world by storm.

He said: "We have played Leeds a few times and I thought we should play Bradford and made arrangements to make sure that we played here because it is where I grew up."

The former Bradford Grammar pupil said he had spoken to his manager and refused to play a gig in Leeds, opting for Bradford instead.

The gig, which will feature new material as well as songs from their current album Franz Ferdinand, takes place on Thursday, October 21, and will be their only performance in West Yorkshire.

Bob remembers visiting the venue as a child. He said: "I am really excited to be coming back and really looking forward to playing at St George's Hall.

"When we were children we used to go there all the time and I have so many memories attached to the place.

"I remember going to see Sooty there!"

The band have just returned from a whistle-stop sell-out tour of North America and are due to head off to play dates in Europe, Japan and then back to the US at the end of this month.

Bob said: "We will only be in Bradford for a day and then we'll be heading down South. We're on tour, so it's just non-stop."

Bob met his fellow band members, Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy and Paul Thompson, while studying at the Glasgow School of Art.

He said he planned to take them to a curry house and hopes to pay a visit to The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, while here.

He said: "I am still exactly the same as I was, just more tired, but having a lot of fun.

"We were four friends before we got the band together and that has never really changed."

The band have been approached to appear in and write some of the songs for the next Harry Potter film, but have not yet agreed.